Without Pelé, Santos shipwrecked after historic first relegation

On April 14, 1912, the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. That same day, on the southeastern coast of Brazil, a trio of sportsmen came together to found a new giant, Santos Foot-Ball Clube, which would go on to rule the seas of global football throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. 

But 111 years on, shortly after the death of their greatest icon, the “unsinkable” Santos has run aground. 

After its worst league season in history, the storied club suffered its first-ever relegation to the second division of Brazilian football.

Santos went into Wednesday’s decisive final round of league matches quietly confident of escaping the drop out of the first division. They were one point ahead of Rio de Janeiro club Vasco da Gama and two ahead of Bahia, from the Northeast. A scenario not without risks, but Santos could even afford to lose their final match and still avoid relegation, provided both Vasco and Bahia did not win their difficult final fixtures — which is exactly what they did.

Tied 1-1 in their home match against Fortaleza, Santos found out they would be relegated ten minutes before the final whistle. There was even time for them to concede a second goal in the last minute, compounding their misery.

The fall to the second-tier Série B has an even more sour taste for Santos, coming almost exactly one year since the death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé, the greatest footballer ever to play the sport. He spent the vast majority of his glittering career playing for Santos and is revered by its fans. He is buried a ten-minute walk from the club’s Vila Belmiro stadium.

Santos is one of the best-known Brazilian football clubs around the world, and much of that is thanks to Pelé. It was during his time at the club that Santos won two Intercontinental Cups, two Copa Libertadores trophies, and six Brazilian league championships. And Pelé won the 1958, 1962, and 1970 World Cups for Brazil while representing the all-white club from the São Paulo coast.

After the sad death of the “King of Football,” the 2023 season for Santos became a series of unfortunate reminders of Pelé’s passing. Indeed, the entire 2023 Brazilian league championship was renamed after him, in his homage.

On October 22, one day before Pelé would have celebrated his 83rd birthday, Santos lost 7-1...